380 Pocket Pistols: CZ USA, Sig Sauer, Walther Shoot It Out

One of the hottest trends in firearms sales is the resurgence of pistols chambered for 380 Auto or 9mm Browning. This cartridge is also referred to as 9mm Kurz or 9mm "short." However, scarcity of available ammunition remains a problem. We checked with several retailers and found they were hesitant to sell quantities of 380 ammunition unless the customer was actually buying a 380-caliber handgun. It wasn't until our local gun shop made contact with a wholesaler by the name of

The $522 CZ 83 was never meant to be a deep concealment pistol. In fact the model 83 is a civilian version of the CZ 82, issued in 1982 to the Czechoslovakian military. But that doesn’t mean it’s not a good concealed carry piece. The CZ 83 is a well-balanced high-capacity pistol for those who prefer lighter recoil. It can be carried with hammer down for traditional double-action or single-action only cocked and locked. Manual decocking was easily achieved and placement of the ambidextrous safeties was perfect, in our view. What this 380-caliber pistol gives up in power it makes up for in accuracy. That’s a six-shot group fired with Sellier & Bellot ammunition from a 15-yard bench. The error in elevation was the result of faulty set up, not the sights.